As a researcher, one of the most common fears while submitting a research paper to a top journal is having it rejected. In 2019, the editors of Elsevier’s Journal of Hydrology (EJRH) rejected almost 70% of all submitted manuscripts (40% of these being desk rejections) 1. With such a large …
Language & Grammar
There is a major difference in the use of the words affect vs. effect when it comes to using them in your research papers. We know it takes you a lot of time, effort, and resources to conduct your research and then produce a compelling manuscript. However, the presence of …
English has long been established as the language of scholarly publishing, with 95% of the research output being published in English-language journals.1 On the other hand, poor language or grammar can also distract from your research and is among one of the key reasons for manuscript rejection.2 This highlights the …
The proper use of punctuation can help to strengthen arguments made in your research paper. But knowing the English grammar rules and using these correctly can be confusing, especially for researchers with English as a second language. One of the easiest punctuation marks that you can get wrong is quotation …
Learning how to use synonyms in academic writing can aid in structuring your text and ensuring that it doesn’t sound monotonous. Here’s a guide telling you all about synonyms in detail. What are synonyms and why are synonyms important? A synonym is one of two or more words of the …
A majority of researchers wonder how to use et al. in a research paper. Et al. is one of the most commonly used Latin abbreviations, just like as, etc., versus, circa, ibid. and id., and often crops up in academic writing. While the English phrases of all these above mentioned words are acceptable, researchers use Latin …
Writing a thesis/dissertation or a manuscript that effectively showcases your research is not only a prerequisite, it’s essential to advance as an academic. However, creating content for these technical documents can be a challenge for researchers, especially those who have English as a second language. Poor language, grammar, spelling or …
Have you ever wanted to translate formidable, and sometimes tedious, academic content into one that is easily comprehensible and captivating? Academics are often told that the language of science is formal, precise and descriptive with no space for the abstract. However, using metaphors in your academic writing could be helpful …
Many young researchers are unsure about when and where to use active or passive voice in research papers. In fact, once you are sure about what to include in your research article, the next big question usually is how to include this information and which writing voice to use. Being …
Authors spend a significant amount of their time researching for and writing articles to get published in esteemed journals. However, the paper rejection rates of some of the top-tier journals are estimated between 80-85%, which may increase to 90-95% for some high-impact journals.1 According to the American Psychological Association’s summary …